VANCOUVER (United States) — Nestory Irankunda called it “unreal” after the 20-year-old born in a refugee camp played a pivotal role in Australia’s shock 2-0 World Cup win over Türkiye.
The livewire winger put the unfancied Socceroos on their way after 27 minutes in Vancouver and Connor Metcalfe scored another in the second half to make the game safe.
It was a brave but clinical display by a dogged Australia after coach Tony Popovic pulled off a big shock in his starting line-up, dropping experienced captain and goalkeeper Mathew Ryan in favour of rookie Patrick Beach.
Vice-captain Jackson Irvine was also left out and Popovic’s gambles paid off handsomely as Australia made a winning start in Group D.
Up next is co-hosts the United States, in Seattle on Friday.
The Americans will be particularly cautious of the all-action Irankunda, who burst through the Türkiye backline before firing home.
Irankunda, 20, celebrated by sprinting to the edge of the pitch and pretending to box the corner flag, mimicking former Australia skipper Tim Cahill’s signature goal celebration.
“It’s unreal,” Irankunda, who plays in England’s second tier for Watford after a stint with Bayern Munich, told Australian broadcasters.
“It’s a dream come true. We’ve got the win now, we worked extra hard, we fought till the end, and it’s just a moment,” he added according to AFP.
Australia and in particular Irankunda, who never made a first-team appearance for Bayern, were riled up by pre-match comments by their opponents that they had more quality and talent.
Irankunda was pleased to ram those remarks back down Turkey’s throats following a gutsy but fully deserved win.
“We don’t like to hear people talk about us because we’re a great team,” said Irankunda, who was born in a Tanzanian refugee camp before becoming Australian.
“People underestimate us a lot, but we showed them we can play.
“They kept the ball a lot more, but who scored the goals?”
